Rifles and shotguns of the break-open type commonly comprise a frame, one or more barrels pivotally mounted on the forward end of the frame and a stock secured to the rearward end of the frame. The rearward end of the barrel of a single barrel firearm and, in particular, the rearward ends of the barrels of a double barrel firearm of the over-and-under type are usually mounted in a barrel-receiving block that, in turn, is pivotally mounted in an open-top recess formed in the forward end of the frame. The barrel-receiving block and the barrels mounted thereon are adapted to be rotated from their closed ready-to-fire position to their open loading and unloading position in the manner known in the art. The open-top recess of the frame in which the barrel-receiving block is received is defined by right hand and left hand side walls of the frame, a bottom wall of the frame and a rear end wall of the frame. The forward end of the stock abuts against this rear end wall of the frame along a more or less vertical line. This general type of stock and frame construction is conventional in the prior art and is exemplified by the external appearance of the frame and stock of the over-and-under shotguns shown in U.S. Pat. Nos.
3,984,933 and 4,063,379 issued to William B. Ruger on Oct. 12, 1976 and Dec. 12, 1977, respectively.
A conventional shotgun or rifle can be quite tiring for a person to carry about and to shoot throughout a long day in the field or at the trap or skeet range, and this can have an adverse effect on the accuracy of the person's shots. As a result, much time and effort has been expended devising ways to reduce the weight of conventional firearms without adversely affecting the balance or performance of the firearms. For example, the frame of an over-and-under firearm is usually a relatively massive metal casting or machined forging that contributes substantially to the total weight of the firearm, and any reduction in the weight of this part that does not affect its strength or function would be an important benefit to the shooter. With this in mind, one attempt to reduce the weight and, equally importantly, improve the appearance of an over-and-under shotgun is shown in U.S. Pat. No. De. 241,836 issued to William B. Ruger and Lawrence L. Larson on Oct. 12, 1976. In this design the side walls of the metal frame of the shotgun are cut away in an area of the frame not subjected to great mechanical stress, and the sides of the wooden stock are extended forwardly to take the place of the metal removed from the frame. The resulting over-and-under shotgun is not only appreciably lighter in weight than shotguns of conventional construction but is also very pleasing in its appearance or aesthetic appeal. Unfortunately, despite the aesthetic appeal of the new design there was at the time of its conception no mechanically satisfactory way to secure the forward extensions of the side walls of the stock to the sides of the frame, and as a result the insecurely fitted side wall extensions of the stock tended to flex or bend in the hands of the shooter and so was an unsatisfactory and incomplete solution to the problem. After an intensive investigation into the problems encountered in the design of lightweight firearms and, in particular, the difficulty in providing a mechanically satisfactory way to secure the forward extensions of the side walls of the stock to the sides of the frame of the over-and-under shotgun shown in U.S. Pat. De. 241,836, I have devised a novel stock and frame construction for lightweight firearms similar to U.S. Pat. De. 241,836, my improvement providing a simple yet mechanically secure connection between the stock and the frame that completely eliminates the objectionable play or looseness in the fit of these parts that previously interfered with the handling and performance of shotguns of the patented design.